The Hudson Valley is located in upstate New York and includes both banks of the Hudson River. For decades, this place has been one of the most saturated areas of the United States in terms of paranormal phenomena.

ToggleUFO raids in the 1980s

During 1980-1985, UFO sightings were extremely frequent in the Hudson Valley. Mostly strange objects flew near private residences or over the highway, and almost always at a very low altitude.

It got to the point that local drivers got so used to UFOs that when the next object appeared, they simply turned to the side of the road, went outside, and, stood in the crowd, enjoyed the unusual spectacle, discussed it among themselves.

Many of the UFOs were triangular in shape, which is why some researchers believe that not aliens, but secret US military aircraft, were flying over the Hudson Valley.

Pine Bush Anomalous Zone In Hudson Valley

In the early 1990s, something strange began to happen in the woods near the small town of Pine Bush. Most often reported here were bizarre animals or strange creatures that had the ability to instantly disappear.

When there were a lot of such messages, ufologists, cryptozoologists and other researchers of paranormal phenomena began to come to the forest one after another. They did not find anything definite here, but agreed that “the place is very strange.”

Some suggested that there are portals to other worlds or dimensions, from where mysterious animals and creatures appear. Then reports began to appear about UFOs and about the fact that people were being kidnapped here. The latter at some time became even more than stories about strange animals.

Strange sightings in the area continue to this day, but with much less intensity.

Ghost in the barracks

The gruesome incidents took place in October 1972 at the Scott Military Barracks at West Point, one of the most famous military academies in the United States. This event was officially documented in one of the base’s internal newsletters.

Several young cadets began to notice strange things happening to them. For example, right before our eyes, a bathrobe was torn off the hook and thrown to the side, and in another case, a roll of toilet paper unfolded on its own. And when another cadet was in the shower, the handle with the hot water turned on its own to ice water, and then shifted to the very hot position.

At first, they thought that someone was playing the cadets like that, but then events took a much tougher turn. One evening, one of the cadets – Jim O’Connor – was leaving the shower room, where strange events had already occurred earlier.

When he turned his head, he saw a strange man nearby, holding a 19th-century musket and dressed in clothes from the same era. At the same time, he had bright burning eyes. After a few moments, the figure disappeared, as if it had vanished into thin air.

As the intensity of such events increased, the higher-ranking officers in the barracks began to take them more seriously. So much so that they asked for a volunteer to spend the night in 4714’s most paranormally active room while they monitored what was going on there

Until two in the morning everything was calm, but at 2 o’clock something woke him up and when he opened his eyes, he saw next to him, probably the same mysterious figure in 19th-century clothes. At the same time, for some reason, it was very difficult for him to breathe, as if an invisible concrete slab had fallen on him. 

When those who were watching him ran into the room to help him, the ghost moved away and disappeared through the wall. Ultimately, this room in the barracks was permanently closed, and the case remains unsolved to this day.

Wang Hollow Stone Portal

The so-called Whangtown Stone Chambers are ancient Native American stone structures of a supposedly ritual nature, about 3500 years old, and located in the Wang Hollow Valley, in Putnam County.

These structures are located in special places and, according to the official version, represent an astronomical calendar. Unofficially, many call them portals and assure that something supernatural is happening inside these stone “rooms”.

Many of those explorers who went inside said they experienced unusual things. Some heard flute-like music, others saw strange images, glowing red eyes in the dark, and even a mysterious cloaked figure.

Perhaps one of the strangest incidents was when one person who entered this “portal” was prevented from leaving it by some invisible force field. He not only could not pass through this strange shield for a long time but was also physically knocked to the ground by it. Eventually, the strange power disappeared and he escaped from the mysterious stone fence.

Bigfoot In Hudson Valley

In the Hudson Valley, there have been at least a dozen reported encounters with Bigfoot. And they are all quite new, from the mid-1980s. Nothing like this has been seen here before.

Local ufologists directly link the local yetis to the massive UFO sightings of the early 1980s. It is believed that either the aliens brought the yeti here, or the yeti that suddenly appeared here are the same aliens who flew here on a UFO.

Today, the Hudson Valley Yeti Explorers is a local organization that documents all new sightings of Bigfoot.

A cemetery filled with ghosts in Hudson Valley

Forest Park Cemetery (aka Pinewoods) is one of those places in the Hudson Valley that is recommended for all ghost lovers to visit. Considered by locals to be “the most haunted cemetery in New York” and many ghost stories are enjoyed.

The most popular is a woman hitchhiker who appears on the side of the road passing by the cemetery. According to legend, an unsuspecting motorist spots a young lady walking along the side of the road asking for a ride. The driver then usually agrees and opens the door for the girl to get in.

However, when the car passes the cemetery, the mysterious girl simply vanishes into thin air. Some reports even say that a motorist noticed that the girl had hooves on her feet before she disappeared.

The graveyard is also regularly spotted with shadowy figures, floating orbs, lights, sounds of babies crying, and other standard haunted graveyard set-up.

Haunted houses in Hudson Valley

In the early 1990s, a certain Helen Ackley sold her beautiful three-story mansion to a certain family, but they soon sued her, saying that they had not been warned that the house was full of ghosts.

Ackley was forced to admit that, yes, the house was indeed haunted, poltergeist and all, and it was really creepy. And she herself tried to tell society about this back in the 1970s. She constantly heard invisible steps in this house, her things disappeared somewhere, moved by themselves, and some decorations appeared out of nowhere.

Ackley lost her case, but the incident led to home sellers in the US now being required to notify buyers of any paranormal activity. And Ackley’s house still stands unused to anyone.

Other haunted houses in the Hudson Valley include the Shanley Hotel. There they hear the sound of footsteps of invisible men walking around the house and going up or down the stairs. People also reported being pushed or prodded by an invisible hand.

Some witnesses reported seeing rocking chairs in some rooms sway on their own – as if someone were actually sitting in them.

Another hotel, Smalley’s Inn, was notorious for having a suspiciously high number of child deaths, including children who often died there during childbirth. Together with the standard paranormal activity (ghostly figures, invisible footsteps, poltergeists, etc.), this hints at very evil ghosts.

The hotel lasted until 2020, after which it closed due to the fact that more people did not dare to stay in it.

Locals believe it all started in the early 1980s when an ouija board was indulged in one of the hotel rooms. Shortly thereafter, allegedly, the devilry began in the hotel rooms. However, even before a hotel was built on this site in 1852, at least one execution took place here, as well as a large fire with victims.

What do you think of the strange phenomenon related to the Hudson Valley? Tell us in the comments sections below.